


Area of Effect

by Megane



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action, Bonding, Combat, Comedy, Dare, Emetophobia, Friendship, Jokes, Magic, Male Friendship, Near Death, Nudity, Photographs, Piggyback Rides, Play Fighting, Sleepy Cuddles, Spooning, Status Effects, Strategy & Tactics, Teamwork, To the Victor Go the Spoils, Tree Climbing, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-22 21:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30045204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: It's a beautiful, sun shiny day. The boys decided to join their waterside camp site. They played around and took in the sights. It was something of a vacation. Their dreamlike stay was soon interrupted by a very rude guest.





	1. Rise and Shine

Early morning, time to rise. The alarm went off and echoed loudly through everyone's head. Everyone except Noctis', that is. Prompto had his arms over his eyes and was unmoving for the first few seconds that the alarm blared.

“Can't we switch that to a chocobo's chirp or something…?” he groaned, lips twisting down before he yawned wide.

“I'm afraid not. That will just cause you to sleep longer,” Ignis replied. He sat up and pulled his glasses closer, checking the lenses for smudges.

“Like that's a bad thing,” Prompto grumbled. Despite his complaining, he was already moving into a sitting position.

Ignis and Prompto glanced over to the other two who were still sleeping. For Noctis, that was typical. He had his days when he would rather be bedridden than join the world, metaphorically speaking. But Gladiolus? Well, that was a surprise. Gladio's left arm was thrown over Noctis' side. His other arm acted as a makeshift pillow. Noctis looked like an angry doll in Gladio's hold.

Prompto crawled on all fours, looking at the duo before smiling brightly. He looked to Ignis and held up a finger against his lips. As the advisor went to silence the phone, Prompto stuck out his hand.

“Gimme the phone.”

“What are you planning?” Ignis asked even as he handed the phone over.

“Just taking a few snapshots. For the scrapbook, you know.”

Ignis smirked and watched as Prompto tinkered with the phone. “The scrapbook?” he repeated with raised brows.

Prompto only nodded his head wordlessly, offering no other explanation, and shifted onto one knee. He pressed his other foot against the ground to steady himself. Great, okay. “Smile for the camera,” he whispered, holding the phone over his friends. Ignis shook his head and went back to cleaning his glasses as Prompto busied himself. Prompto took a couple of pictures in his kneeling stance, laughing gently to himself. He soon stood and moved to stand at the sleeping duo's feet. He made sure he was properly balanced before going back to his photo taking. When he was done, he turned the phone vertically and went to the gallery to delete the ones he didn't like.

“Hey, Iggy, look at this—”

“Prompto,” Ignis interrupted.

Prompto perked up, looking to his friend with wide eyes. Ignis nodded his head down to Noctis and Gladio. Prompto diverted his attention downward and saw the two staring up at him.

“What're you doing?” Noctis groaned, eyes closing and head turning away.

“Taking pictures? C'mere.” Gladiolus reached out for Prompto, sitting up only slightly to help in his quest.

“No, no. No thanks!” Prompto tried to stand up straight and brushed his head with the top of the tent. “I'm not tired!”

He then tried to step over Gladiolus but was grabbed by the tartan shirt and tugged down. Noctis frowned deeper, feeling Prompto's bony elbow make contact with his hip.

“Augh! Fine… I'm up. Fight when I leave,” Noctis grumbled.

He blindly shoved backwards, hoping to hit either one of them. He felt leather under his palm and heard Prompto fuss in retaliation. Mission success.

“On second thought, let's not fight in the tent at all,” Ignis stated, ever the voice of reason. “The outside, however, has ample space for you two to rough house.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Gladio agreed.

“Yeah but not a good one,” Prompto countered playfully.

Noctis scoffed. “Yeah, yeah. Get up already.”

“Fine,” Prompto dragged out the word and rolled off Gladio's body.

He pressed his hands to the floor and stood to his feet. He was the first to duck out of the tent with Ignis following close behind. The other two exited a few moments later.

Their surroundings were beautiful. Just across from them at the base of the gentle hill was a massive lake. It was so wide and so large, they thought it opened out towards the ocean. It didn't, but whoa. Wouldn't that have been nice. The road was not too far behind them but was wholly overshadowed by the almost endless stretch of green grass. Wild flowers grew everywhere and were almost chest high! The clouds overhead were thick and white and floated lazily across the sky.

Everyone took a moment to take in the beauty of their surroundings, collectively let out a breath, and headed down the hill.

“So,” Ignis began, drawing his hands together. “Bathing, breakfast, and then…?” He trailed off, raising a brow and looking to the others.

“Hunting,” Gladio added, looking to Ignis.

“Relaxing,” Prompto said with a sigh and a smile on his face.

“Frogs,” Noctis stated.

There was a pointed silence that fell over the group. Noctis looked to his friends, seeing their amused faces. He rolled his eyes, closed them, and groaned “Whatever” before pulling off his jacket. The others laughed and began stripping as well as they headed towards the lake.

\---- ---- ---- ----

“Okay. Now... who's gonna go get the towels from the car?” Gladiolus asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and his tilted smile widened. “That's a loooong walk to make naked.”

“Whoa, wait. No grabbing clothes?” Prompto asked, blinking water out of his eyes.

Gladio shook his head. “Just you in all your glory.” He pointed to Noctis. “And no teleporting either.”

“What makes you think I'm gonna do it?”

“Because not it.” Gladio pointed his thumb to himself, “and Ignis is gone.”

Prompto and Noctis looked behind them suddenly. Sure enough, Ignis was nowhere to be seen. He had ducked under the water!

“Clever bastard,” Noctis said lowly, shaking his head.

“On three,” Gladio said. “One, two, thr—”

“Not it…” “Not it!”

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other.

“One, two, three— not it!” they stated simultaneously. They froze, staring at each other. “Not it. Not it!”

They smiled at each other, impressed that they could match each other evenly. But they were in anticipation, adrenaline pumping as they read each other's face. They kept the silence for a long while before Prompto decided to tackle Noctis into the water. Not even a second later did Ignis resurface, laughing to himself. He shook his glasses out and pushed his hair out of his face.

“So what's the verdict?” he asked diplomatically.

Gladio shrugged slightly. “Jury's still out on this one.”

“Very well.”

Gladio smiled at his friend, trying to see when the astute act would end. How could Ignis pretend he just didn't duck underwater to avoid a dare? By making no mention of it apparently. Gladio's shoulders shook with a silent laugh. Ignis slipped his glasses onto his face, letting them peter on the end of his nose. He smirked at Gladio, but did nothing else.

Prompto resurfaced almost a minute later, ten feet further into the lake. He threw up his arms victoriously, and Noctis rose up behind him like a sulking crocodile.

“Not! It!” Prompto shouted. He whooped into the air and leaned back, falling into the water once again.

Noctis sighed through his nose, the air disturbing the water. He lifted his head and looked over to Gladio.

“Do I have to?”

“Now, now, Your Highness,” Ignis replied, pleased with the turn of events. “Don't be a spoil sport.”

Noctis side glanced to Ignis and scoffed. This guy… Noctis groaned and swam towards the shore, his hands cleaving through the water as he went. He hesitated before closing his eyes and climbing up to the shore.

“Aow! Check out Noct!” Gladio shouted.

“Look at those gams!” Prompto yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth.

“Have mercy, Your Highness.”

Noctis straightened his shoulders and ignored the warmth traveling all the way up to his ears. He didn't open his eyes at first. He opened them when he started moving, fetching the keys out of Ignis' pockets. He hurried towards the luxury car, thinking about staying at the car with the towels and making the others come out.

Actually, that didn't sound like a bad idea…

\---- ---- ---- -----

“You're a sore loser,” Prompto mumbled before drying his hair with the towel.

Noctis smirked as he handed a towel over to Gladio. “Hey, he said to get the towels. He never said to come back.”

“Got me there,” Gladio replied with laughter in his voice.

“I suppose it's our fault for not catching that earlier,” Ignis added, using his towel to wipe his glasses.

“You raised me to be clever,” Noctis said. He was very proud of himself.

“A bit too clever.” Gladio covered Noctis' face with one hand before pushing the prince backwards.

Noctis laughed to himself as he took a few steps back. No one had grabbed any of their clothes, so they all headed back towards the lake. Noctis had a smug smile on his face and a pep in his step. He walked a bit faster than the others just in case they decided to get their revenge.

After getting dressed, they decided to go hunting and then relax. They could get food from any of their kills and scavenge a little. Noctis could go looking for frogs if he still felt so inclined.

Prompto ran the pads of his fingers against his cheeks, basking in the warm of the sun. Noctis squinted up at the sky as he trudged forward. His heavy steps flattened the grass underneath his boots. Ignis kept a look out on their surroundings. Or that's what he would say he was doing. In truth, he was admiring the plains, the serenity, the picturesque atmosphere. Gladio cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms. He took long strides to stretch his legs as well. Occasionally, that brought him even with Noctis.

They didn't find many enemies, but they found plenty of places to take pictures. Prompto found an outcrop – it wasn't very tall, but he stood on the edge with his arms out, facing up towards the sky. Ignis took a few pictures. Silly as he was, Prompto looked pretty good up there. Gladiolus crouched down to harvest some berries he found. He was inspecting a strangely coloured one he found when Noctis flopped over his back.

“What're you doing?” Noctis mumbled against Gladio's shoulder.

“Getting food. What're you doing?”

“Bothering you,” the prince replied easily.

“He's self-aware,” Gladio joked.

He shifted a knee down to the ground and slipped the berries into his pocket. Afterward, he reached back and grabbed Noctis under his legs. He hoisted the prince onto his back, and Noctis placed his hands on Gladio's shoulders.

“Go this way.” Noctis pointed off to the left, patting Gladio's shoulder with his right hand.

“Gonna pay me some gil for this cab ride?” Gladio began turning to the left.

Noctis smirked. “If you're good enough.”

Ignis looked around again and saw the duo heading off somewhere together. Prompto had climbed a tree, trying to get a higher view of the plains. He found a large egg in a nest. He sat down on a branch and leaned closer towards the egg. To look at it — he wasn't gonna touch it or anything. But his intentions didn't matter. A bird swept down, screeched at him, and flapped furiously at his face with its wings.

Ignis spun around at Prompto's panicked yelling. “Prompto!” But there wasn't much he could do now. Prompto was being victimised by the brutal flapping that eventually knocked him off guard. He fell out of the tree and down to the ground below. Ignis jogged over to the groaning blond. Prompto weakly curled onto his side. Ignis kneeled down beside his friend and patted the blond sympathetically.

“This is nice, yeah?” Gladio asked finally after a long while of nothing at all.

He walked aimlessly with Noctis in tow. Sometimes they would pause near a tall flower or a clump of bushes. Gladio had only let Noctis down once to capture a frog that was sitting happily in a burrow. Back on his mobile throne, Noctis leaned against Gladio's back and took in the sights.

“Yeah, it's pretty,” Noctis said dreamily. He sat up and sighed hard through his nose, trying not to yawn. “Wanna head back?”

“Nothing better to do. Want me to carry you?”

“Well, I mean…”

Gladio leaned his head to the side, glancing to the Prince. “You know this ride isn't free.”

“Still sore about the towel thing?” Noctis laughed and gently knocked Gladio on the head.

He placed his hands on Gladio's shoulders. Gladio stopped to let the prince hop down. Noctis took a few steps to steady himself and pat his Shield back with both hands. Ignis, by this point, had pulled Prompto to his feet and dusted off the gunner. Prompto rubbed his tailbone, and Ignis decided to have mercy. He placed his hands on Prompto's back, kneading and massaging away the hurts. To compromise with himself, Ignis softly chastised Prompto.

“You know you shouldn't involve yourself with wildlife.”

“I wasn't gonna touch it,” Prompto defended, groaning when Ignis' thumbs ground into his back. “Man, that… really hurt.”

“As I expect it should.” Ignis smirked. “You'll do best not to repeat yourself next time.”

“No kidding.” Prompto lifted his head and saw Gladio and Noctis coming their way. “Guess we should try again for breakfast, right?”

“I wonder if they found anything,” Ignis mused.

As he spoke, there was a rumbling in the ground. Everyone stopped and braced themselves for trouble.

“I think we all did,” Prompto replied as he kept watch on the others.


	2. Battle from Within and Without

Between the two pairs, the even grass ruptured, and a horned basilisk surfaced. It hissed and swayed side to side. Two hornets appeared on either side of it, buzzing oppressively. There was a moment of nothing, and soon, everyone moved.   
  
Prompto and Ignis ran forward to join the others. The hornets whipped around to face them. The horned basilisk coiled in on itself. Its tail flicked into the air before settling down on the ground. Noctis and Gladio summouned their swords. They stood back to back as they aimed at the basilisk. The creature hissed, and its mouth curled up in some haunting version of a smile. It lurched towards its human prey; Noctis and Gladio leapt away from its strike. They felt the heat of its breath as it passed. So hot it almost burned. Noctis sneered and swung his sword, connecting with the basilisk's body. Gladio followed with windmill strikes. His arms twisted left and right as he twisted the sword expertly.   
  
Gunfire sounded off. Prompto spun his gun on his trigger finger. He bounded out of the way of a stinger attack. His left arm just barely made it out of the way. He heard the hornet's wings stammer as Ignis followed up with a series of swipes. Before Ignis could deliver the killing blow, the hornet managed to save itself. Ignis struck towards the ground. Prompto slid over towards his friend. Ignis rolled over Prompto's back and landed on his feet. Prompto stood up and nodded his head to the hasty “Thanks” thrown his way.   
  
“Let's knock these things out!”   
  
“Say no more,” Ignis said quickly, turning his knives with the blades facing upward.   
  
The sound of combat filled the otherwise serene air. When Noctis fell, Gladio grabbed the prince by his shoulder and tugged him backwards. He brought his sword up just in time to defend against the basilisk's bite. The creature was bleeding thickly in several places, but its otherworldly smile didn't disappear.   
  
Prompto raised his shoulder, using his arm as a long sight as he aimed at a hornet. Just as the creature traveled forward, Prompto fired off a bullet. He recoiled with the shot, rocking back onto his left heel. The hornet rattled in the air. Its stinger exploded off its body, shooting in different directions as the hornet died. Prompto turned his body and stumbled away. He tried to avoid what he could and hissed in pain when he was still hit. Ignis, off to his left, groaned loudly.   
  
“Iggy,” Prompto breathed. He straightened himself and turned towards the advisor.   
  
“I'm fine.” Ignis cleared his throat. He was holding his side. “Look.”   
  
He motioned his hand towards the other hornet. It was retreating to join the basilisk in its heated battle against Gladio and Noctis. Prompto pressed his lips together before looking back to Ignis. The advisor stood and settled himself. Prompto held his hands in front of and behind Ignis, just in case he fell over. Ignis nodded to him, showing that he was okay, and the two followed after the hornet.   
  
Ignis didn't say anything when he felt a heat in his veins. It crept quickly through his body and invaded his mind, overpowering him with a strength and fury he had never known before. His running slowed to a power walk and then to a determined strut. He gripped the knives loosely in his hands and coolly pushed up his glasses. Prompto didn't notice that his friend had slowed down. He slid to a stop and aimed his gun at the hornet. Before he could fire, a blade went sailing. A large knife stuck in the hornet's abdomen, weighing down the insect. Prompto heard hurried footsteps, and Ignis soon rushed past him.   
  
Ignis ran towards the basilisk, jumped from its hood, and bounded into the air. He grabbed the knife handle as he came down. He dragged the hornet towards the ground, where he pinned it. He raised his other weapon to attack. The others watched him, stunned by his ferocity. Ignis stood to his feet and turned towards his new target. The horned basilisk focused on him, hissing and smiling as it watched him predatorily. Ignis merely pushed up his glasses silently, and with a few quick motions, he readied himself to fight back.   
  
“Ignis?” Prompto called.   
  
“He's too far gone,” Gladio replied. “Anyone got a remedy?”   
  
“We've only got the one,” Noctis said.   
  
“Incoming!” Prompto aimed his gun again.   
  
The hornet hovered irritably in the air. Its wings flapped faster; its body bobbed in midair before it struck. Prompto's first bullet missed as the creature raced towards Noctis and Gladio. Moving on instinct, Noctis threw his lance into the air. The hornet missed him entirely but continued on its warpath. Its stinger jabbed into Gladio's torso. The bodyguard choked on a noise and almost dropped his sword at the sudden pain. Prompto rolled to the side and ended up in a kneeling position. He steadied his weapon with both hands and fired three rounds into the oversized insect.   
  
Gladio shoved the insect off his body when it stopped moving. Its stinger vibrated angrily before melting into the muscled torso. Gladio was unsettled by the feeling. He placed a hand over the place of impact and was overwhelmed by a sudden sickness. He furrowed his brows and took long steps backwards away from the others. His head spun; his mouth tasted like copper and bile.   
  
Noctis landed on the basilisk which gave a horrible screech and burrowed underground again. Ignis sneered and moved closer to the prince since his target was out of sight. Noctis pulled his lance back and looked to Gladious. Gladio heard Noctis call his name. He raised his hand, signaling the prince to keep his distance. Without warning, Gladio's stomach gave a painful lurch, and he threw up in the grass.   
  
The sludge was a sickening, toxic green-black. He hoped that was mostly from the stinger in his body. He didn't want to throw that up all day. He heaved again, but nothing came out. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His muscles throbbed with a dull pain, and his head was still spinning. His tongue was still heavy with uncomfortable tastes… But he could live with all of that. For him, the worst of it was over.   
  
Noctis stared at Gladio, who ran over to join them. He then turned his attention up to Ignis. The advisor was silent and rocking restlessly. Ignis stared unfocused at the distance, and despite how many times Noctis waved his hand in front of the man's face, he was unresponsive. Then there was Prompto. The ground rumbled again, and the creature revealed itself again. Ignis rushed past Noctis to attack. In the brief time, the basilisk had spit out towards the gunner. Prompto cried out and fired at his opponent. The basilisk warbled before hiding underground again. Prompto covered his eyes with one hand; his other arm swung uselessly at his side.   
  
“Augh! I— Can't see!” He scratched at his face, feeling the tar like substance over his eyes.   
  
“Hey, calm down!”   
  
Prompto gasped softly. He heard the admonishing tone then felt Gladio's hands on his body. He whimpered softly before straightening up under Gladio's hold.  
  
“I'll be your eyes. Just wait and it'll be over.”  
  
“Okay!” Prompto shouted, a bit unsure.   
  
“Any ideas on what to do next?” Noctis asked, turning his head towards Gladio and Prompto.   
  
“It's hurt bad! See how it's hiding from us? If we take it down quick, it won't have a chance to heal itself.”   
  
“Sounds good to me…”   
  
Noctis curled his fingers at his sides. It was only a matter of time until he was next. He needed to be ready for the basilisk's next strike. He had time to mentally steel himself as the basilisk kept rising above and hiding underneath the grassy earth. Gladio kept close to Prompto, turning the gunner to guide him and giving him directions on where to aim. Sometimes, he would pull Prompto out of harm's way, and the blond would express his gratitude.   
  
Ignis was able to land a few fiendish strikes on the creature's body, and his senses eventually came back to him. His weapons dematerialised. He shook out his arms and massaged his hands.   
  
“You feelin' alright?” Noctis asked, off to the side.   
  
“On the contrary, Your Highness. I never felt better.”   
  
“Good. For a minute there, I thought I'd—”   
  
The basilisk returned. It broke free of the ground. Its body was swollen and sickly grey. Darker grey patches dotted along its back and sides. Venom dripped from its eye teeth as it loomed over Noctis. It was like everything moved in slow motion. He turned to stare at his opponent. When their gazes met, the basilisk's eyes flashed red then turned white before bleeding black again. In its smiling face, Noctis saw death. His heart beat hard in his chest. Every third pulse sent pain through his body. Soon every fifth, then every tenth, beat caused him immense pain as his heart rate sped up.   
  
“Noctis!”   
  
Gunfire.   
  
The word and noises barely pierced the haze overshadowing his mind. Ignis shook him, trying to stir Noctis out of his stupor. Noctis tried to do… something. He wanted to move, to reach out, to speak, to _breathe_ , but the second he made an effort, he toppled. Noctis fell to one knee, and his left hand touched the ground. His heart rate began to slow down again. Every tenth beat, then every fifth, then every third _hurt_ beyond his wildest dreams. He was breathing but shallowly. He forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. Noctis climbed to his feet, gritting his teeth and waving off Ignis' concerns.   
  
“I'm fine,” he grunted. He focused on the basilisk ahead of him. It didn't go back into hiding, but it was dying. Noctis noted belatedly that he was too.   
  
“Think you've got a trick or two up your sleeve?” Noctis asked Ignis, barely turning his head towards the advisor.   
  
“What did you have in mind?”  
  
“It knows a lot of spells. We need to even the playing field.”   
  
“Right you are. I've just the ticket.”   
  
“Right on.”   
  
The dying creature snapped forward. Its maw hung open wider, threatening to swallow anything in its way whole. Noctis quick stepped to Gladio and Prompto. The sludge was still over Prompto's eyes, and Gladio looked ill. Not completely sick but bad enough. He was hiding it well enough, which only made Noctis wonder just how bad it really was.   
  
“Gladio, we're gonna need you.”   
  
“Yeah, but Prompto is—”   
  
“I'll be okay.” Prompto reached up and pat Gladiolus' hand. “I'll just stay here.”  
  
“What if it comes for you?”   
  
“Hey, I've got ears. I'll figure it out.”   
  
“Don't be reckless,” Noctis reached over to quickly punch Prompto's arm.   
  
Prompto swiped and missed. “Look who's talking!”  
  
“Is that a joke?” Noctis smirked.   
  
He looked over his shoulder to the horned basilisk. It had drawn itself into an upright position again. Dirt clumps dropped with the thick saliva dripping from its fangs. Ignis hurried over to the group.   
  
“Highness. I found this,” he said, holding out a milky purple vial.   
  
Noctis took it in his hand, and he could feel its power in his palm. Its use came to him like a whisper in his mind. He bobbed the vial in his hand.   
  
“We can use this to knock it out. Give Prompto a bit of time to recover.”  
  
Gladio crossed his arms. “Look at you being tactical.”   
  
Noctis smiled and tapped his temple. “Learned from the best.”   
  
Gladiolus returned the smile with a small one of his own. He looked to Prompto, checking up on him before going to join Noctis with Ignis at his side. Noctis ran up and hurled the vial against the basilisk. Its hiss was horrifying and out-of-this-world, but before it could do anything, its body wavered and doubled over.  
  
“Nighty-night,” Noctis teased. He looked left and right, seeing Gladio and Ignis respectively. Gladiolus hoisted his sword onto his shoulder, and Ignis pushed up his glasses, weapons in hand. They waited without looking back. Either Prompto would join them or the horned basilisk would attack them again.   
  
Time was hard to place, and breathing was hard to maintain. Noctis' body relaxed and straightened with every long, measured inhalation. Gladio shook his head and smacked his lips. He sneered and muttered, “Disgusting,” as his affliction lifted. There was a gunshot. Two more soon followed. The basilisk erected its posture and growled dangerously.   
  
“I can see again!” came the unadulterated jubilation.   
  
“Welcome to the party!” Gladio shouted back, keeping his eyes on the target.   
  
“Ignis!” Noctis cued the advisor.   
  
Ignis drew his right hand towards himself and focused. He twisted his knives and hurried towards the basilisk. Noctis and Gladiolus rushed it as well. The creature was too distracted by the attacks to notice that it had been infected.   
  
It made itself bigger and loomed over Ignis' figure. Noctis watched. Adrenaline pumped hard enough to make his head hurt. The basilisk stayed still, trying to afflict Ignis with a similar disease. It wasn't effective. For its hard work, Gladiolus struck with a sword to its belly. Ignis followed up as well.   
  
Noctis tried, again, to do something. Now that Prompto was with them, they could really team up and take this thing out. He tried, but his body carried itself. The basilisk didn't last for much longer. With a mocking hiss that everyone _swore_ sounded like a laugh, it fell over. Prompto thrust his fist into the air, hopping as he did. Gladio dusted his hands together.   
  
Ignis adjusted his clothing. “All's well that ends well,” he said — and immediately regretted his words.   
  
Noctis reached out and stumbled. He started to fall, but Ignis and Prompto caught him. Gladio jogged over as well. To say Noctis was pale would be a grave understatement. All of the colour had drained out of his body, leaving him white as the clouds overhead.   
  
“He needs a remedy!” Gladio snapped, never taking his gaze from Noctis.   
  
“Right!”   
  
Prompto tipped up his head, watching as Ignis produced a potion bottle. The liquid inside was iridescent. The Sun reflected off the glass and left colourful patterns on Noctis' vampiric skin. Gladio reached out to hold Noctis steady in Ignis' place. Ignis opened the prince's mouth and poured the shining liquid within.   
  
The effect was immediate. He gasped, feeling his heartbeat return to normal. His strength was back; his mind was clear. Outside of the alarming lack of pigment, he was feeling himself again. He batted away the concerned hands and was lowered to the ground. Noctis braced himself on his knees and forearms. He gulped air greedily and coughed when his body couldn't keep up.   
  
“Easy tiger,” Gladio reached out to pat Noctis' back.   
  
Noctis groaned and pushed up onto his knees. He took a long breath through his nose, thick lashes set against the tops of his cheeks. The little break had done him some good. _Now_ , he looked like himself again.  
  
“Alright, so. That was awful,” Noctis said as he came to his feet again.   
  
“No kiddin',” Gladio replied. To Noctis' right, Ignis sighed in relief.   
  
“Aw, man. They tore up the landscape!” Prompto raised his hands and let them fall against his legs. “Way to kill the mood.”   
  
Ignis hummed and lowered his head down. He raised his brows slightly, staring at the basilisk. “Fancy something different for breakfast?”   
  
Everyone looked at him and then down to the creature. Gladio motioned his hand to it.   
  
_“That?”_  
  
“I'm game,” Noctis replied with a slight shrug.   
  
“Serves it right!” Prompto added. “But uh… You think it's safe?”   
  
“I'm sure it's fine,” Ignis said. “Alright, Gladio. We'll need you to bring it back to camp.”   
  
“Just expect me to do all the heavy lifting.” As he said this, Gladiolus moved closer to the basilisk to heft it up.   
  
“You're a big strong man. It's no problem, right?” Noctis pat Gladio on the tricep.  
  
“Y'know. I should get you and Prom to carry this. You two could use the muscles.”   
  
“Not it!” Prompto shouted. Noctis lifted his hands up.   
  
“I'll pass.”   
  
“Then that just leaves… Wha– Hey!”   
  
As they were going back and forth, Ignis had silently headed towards the camp. He pulled off his glasses to check the lenses for smudges. All the while, he was smiling to himself. The other three watched him. Noctis sighed and shook his head before following after.   
  
“That Ignis is a clever bastard,” Noctis mumbled.   
  
Gladio laughed. “Tell me about it. At least we got breakfast.”   
  
Prompto smiled and watched as Gladio adjusted the serpent on his shoulder. He placed his hands behind his head, staring up at the clouds, a bit thankful he didn't have to carry the carcass back. The sky was still beautiful, and they had the water front to look out to. Even with the dangerous exchange, it was still going to be a beautiful day.


End file.
